[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Tour: A Matter Of Life And Death 2006[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Headliner: Iron Maiden[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Support: Bullet For My Valentine[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Venue: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Date: October 18th, 2006[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]We left for Chicago around 1pm to see Eddie and the boys. We arrived at the Allstate Arena at around 4pm, and we were anxious to see how many people were in line. As we drove past the main north entrance we were disappointed to see over 100 people already in line. Fortunately, I had called the venue earlier in the day to get information concerning parking, etc. and I was told that for floor tickets we should use the east gate. So I went around to the east gate and there were only a couple of people there. I called the venue again to verify the information and I was informed that the wristbands for the floor would be handed out at the east gate. Score! We were the first people onto the floor of the arena and I was the first person to the rail! We held front and center all night.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Venue Report:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The Allstate Arena is in Rosemont, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago. It is a 10,000-seat hockey arena that is well suited for concerts. The sound was very good from where we were at on the rail. I have been to shows recently where that was not the case. Coors Ampitheater in Denver would be one example. We were there last year for the Death On The Road tour and the sound mix from the pit was not so good. But the sound mix at the Allstate Arena was excellent. The only problem was occasional feedback from Bruce’s microphone.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Crowd Report:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Chicago crowds are usually fairly serious about their metal and this crowd was no exception. The crush started before Maiden even took the stage and only got more intense as the evening progressed. The Maiden sardine can was in full force at the Allstate Arena. It was probably the second most intense Maiden crowd that I have experienced. (The Dance of Death show in Los Angeles in 2004 will hold top sardine can honors for another year.) There was some crowd surfing, which is something that I have not normally seen at Maiden shows. And the crowd gave Bullet For My Valentine a rough time throughout their set, with a fair amount of boo’s, gestures and chants of “Maiden” after every song. I read on the IMOC that the crowd was about 9,000. I posted a picture from the IMOC below. [/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Show Report:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]To say that this was the show of the year is an understatement. This show was outstanding from start to finish. The band was on fire and they seemed to be pleased with the crowd reaction. Bruce sounded great all night, especially on the new songs, which I thought might be difficult for him to pull off live. The band seemed to really enjoy playing the new material and it sounded amazing live. I thought that the songs seemed even heavier live than on the CD. "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns" and "The Longest Day" were the highlights in my opinion. The classic songs that were played were as good as they always are. Eddie’s tank rose up behind the drum kit during the song “Iron Maiden” and proceeded to fire shots at the crowd. But the encore just seemed to take things to the next level and the song selection was perfect. “2 Minutes To Midnight” fit the war theme of the stage set. “The Evil That Men Do” was awesome and commander Eddie made his appearance in full military uniform. And I had always wanted to see them close with “Hallowed Be Thy Name.” Basically, this show was unbelievable and will rank in my personal top 5 for a long time.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Maiden Set List:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]1. Different World[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]2. These Colours Don't Run[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]3. Brighter Than A Thousand Suns[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]4. The Pilgrim[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]5. The Longest Day[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]6. Out Of The Shadows[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]7. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]8. For The Greater Good Of God[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]9. Lord Of Light[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]10. The Legacy[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]11. Fear Of The Dark[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]12. Iron Maiden [/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]13. 2 Minutes To Midnight[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]14. The Evil that Men Do[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]15. Hallowed Be Thy Name[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]This picture is of about half the stage/arena. (That is Adrian’s microphone stand.) My friend (jeremysaal) is the bald guy on the rail at the far left (Napalm Death shirt). I am the one with red hair right next to him (Death On The Road shirt). My friend caught a wrist band from Steve and a pick from Adrian.[/SIZE][/FONT]